Date: Tue, 1 Apr 97 17:06:37 -0500 From: Sonya Jones To: Louie Crew Cc: sjones@pellns.alleg.edu Subject: History & Memory conference Hi Louie, please run this press release ASAP. Thanks, Sonya FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Lynda Terry (814) 332-6755 ALLEGHENY TO HOST GAY/LESBIAN LITERATURE CONFERENCE MEADVILLE, Pa. -- March 31, 1997 -- Allegheny College will host several leading scholars and authors of gay and lesbian literature, theatre and film on Friday, April 11 through Sunday, April 13 for a conference titled "History and Memory: Gay & Lesbian Literature Since World War II." John DeCecco, editor of The Journal of Homosexuality and a 1946 Allegheny graduate, will deliver the keynote address, "The Twilight of the Sciences and the Dawn of the Liberal Arts in the Understanding of Homosexuality," Friday evening. Conference Director Sonya Jones, professor of English at Allegheny, conceived of the idea for the symposium while editing a special issue of The Journal of Homosexuality (which will be released as a book from Haworth Press in 1998). Noting an increasing scholarly interest in gay and lesbian literary texts since World War II and the significant changes reflected in this writing, Jones decided to bring together some of the individuals at the forefront of gay scholarship and writing. "One of the primary aims of the conference is to build bridges between scholars and creative writers," said Jones. "To have DeCecco under the same roof with lesbian author Bertha Harris is almost unthinkable." - more - Allegheny to Host Gay/Lesbian Literature Conference . . . Add One Jones also stated that David Bergman, one of the leading scholars in gay studies, will lead off the plenary talks Saturday morning, and the conference will offer readings by Christopher Leland and Sarah Schulman in addition to Harris. Added Jones: "The difference in this conference is that we've put the writers on panels with the scholars. The dialogue promises to be substantive and invigorating." Allegheny's Winslow Lecture in Religion will be delivered this year as part of the conference, and will feature Dorothy Austin of Drew University. She will deliver an address titled "Gays and Lesbians in the Christian Context" on Sunday the 13th at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Chapel. She also will give the Sunday ecumenical service sermon, "The Spirituality of Hospitality: The Challenge of Religious Pluralism in Our Times," in the chapel at 10:45 a.m. DeCecco is a well-known and respected scholar in gay and lesbian studies. He is professor of psychology at San Francisco State University and director of the Center for Research and Education in Sexuality. Editor of The Journal of Homosexuality since 1977, he also edits the gay/lesbian studies book list for Haworth Press. He earned both his master's degree and his doctorate in history from the University of Pennsylvania, then did seven years of post-doctoral work in psychology at both Wayne State and Michigan State universities. He has published numerous books, articles and papers, and appeared on national television as a commentator regarding controversial homosexuality research and related issues. Allegheny Class of 1982 alumna Carolyn Kyler, associate professor of English at Washington and Jefferson College and vice president of the Lambda Foundation, Pittsburgh, will - more - Allegheny to Host Gay/Lesbian Literature Conference . . . Add Two welcome participants Friday at 8:15 p.m. in Carnegie 212. Sonya Jones then will give a brief conference address prior to DeCecco's keynote address. A reception, sponsored by the Allegheny Gay and Lesbian Alumni Caucus, will follow in the student-run coffeehouse "Grounds for Change," located on the third floor of Henderson Campus Center. Speakers for Saturday and Sunday will cover a range of topics, including discussions of Latino novels on AIDS, lesbian and feminist influences on alternative publishing, Indian texts, and the works of James Baldwin, Bertha Harris and Dale Peck. The conference also will feature panels on queer theory in film and theatre, religion and homoerotics, wartime stories and metaphors, postcolonialist theory, the "Lesbian Seventies," and directions in gay and lesbian fiction. Speakers and panelists represent a wide range of higher educational institutions, including Brown University, Cornell University, Mount Holyoke College, Penn State University, Vanderbilt University and York University in Canada. Fees for the conference are $90 for the full conference, $50 for single days, and $15 for evening sessions only; free for college students with ID. For more information about the conference or to register, contact Sonya Jones at (814) 332-4339 or Kristy Whisker, assistant to the director, at (814) 332-2530. - rc - 3) la telaranya: latina lesbian writers' web newsletter